Developed as part of an urban renewal project in the 1970s, Naftzger Park in downtown Wichita, Kansas was designed as a Victorian-style park, featuring winding brick paths, a concrete lined pond, a central gazebo, and mature shade trees, surrounded by a tall wrought iron fence with brick columns. The park in general had fallen out of favor with residents because of an inability to host large gatherings, a lack of visibility into and out of the park, and aging amenities. Located between an entertainment district and the city’s arena, local leaders envisioned the site as a key connection between the two locales and saw an opportunity to create a great outdoor gathering space.
Garver’s Landscape Architecture Team was part of a multi-disciplinary team for the redevelopment of the park and provided surveying, civil engineering design, and local coordination for the project. The re-imagined 1.5-acre park abuts a new mixed-use building and features a large public lawn, performance stage, LED screen, space for food trucks, dog run, outdoor seating, fountain, and landscaping. The large open lawn was split between natural grass and more durable artificial turf where more activities will be programmed by the City. Underneath the lawn is a large underground detention basin, which serves as relief for an overtaxed storm sewer system in the adjacent Douglas Avenue and collects a significant portion of on-site runoff.
Garver was subsequently hired for two additional improvement projects in the park. Due to the success of the park’s redevelopment, the natural grass portion of the event lawn became difficult to maintain. Garver’s landscape architects designed improvements that included replacement of grass with artificial turf, a concealed based for the city’s annual holiday tree, and additional seating, game tables, and landscape. A 2025 project added a new public restroom to the park.
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